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A review by a_reader_obsessed
Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn
4.0
4.5 Stars!
No one is more shocked by how much this story affected me because really, with such an awful cheesy cover such as this, understandably, expectations were very low. However, in an effort to get through my paid list, this has been languishing on my shelf for years, and I’m thrilled this was a win as I finished it one sitting, a true reading rarity.
What I really want to convey here is that Vaughn wonderfully depicts Ollie and Sam’s relationship quite beautifully. I really felt their love connection and happiness and when that’s ripped away, it made the loss so acutely and deeply felt. Often second chance, dead spouse romances perhaps gloss over the little details and rush things unrealistically but here, Vaughn painfully and meticulously allows the reader to see Ollie’s devastation - how it seems nigh impossible to get over but slowly, torturously, he picks himself up and day by day, struggles to survive and eventually thrive.
This also focuses on Thomas, who has been desperately in love with Ollie for years, who never ever was supposed to have even a possibility of a chance with Ollie and now, struggles to move on with his life as well, because how do you even present yourself as an option for a new future? This man was amazing inside and out and wins the seldom given hubby award, as Thomas’s raw desperate feelings and ensuing vulnerability is showcased over and over with tender precision.
There’s definitely plenty of roadblocks and obstacles, and Vaughn never shies away from the tough topics as she thoroughly picks apart grief and healing and the paralytic fear and overwhelming guilt and fragile hope that life just may carry on. Beware the extra strife with Sam's selfish parents and peripheral besties with their own weighty issues, not to mention Thomas’s baby mama drama.
Regardless, the take away point is, at its soulful core, this was truly an affecting love story for two captivating individuals who deserve all the happiness, making the penultimate culmination and fitting ending well worth the angst ridden wait. Suffice it to say, this was the best second chance romance I’ve read to date and if you like this trope, don’t miss out!
No one is more shocked by how much this story affected me because really, with such an awful cheesy cover such as this, understandably, expectations were very low. However, in an effort to get through my paid list, this has been languishing on my shelf for years, and I’m thrilled this was a win as I finished it one sitting, a true reading rarity.
What I really want to convey here is that Vaughn wonderfully depicts Ollie and Sam’s relationship quite beautifully. I really felt their love connection and happiness and when that’s ripped away, it made the loss so acutely and deeply felt. Often second chance, dead spouse romances perhaps gloss over the little details and rush things unrealistically but here, Vaughn painfully and meticulously allows the reader to see Ollie’s devastation - how it seems nigh impossible to get over but slowly, torturously, he picks himself up and day by day, struggles to survive and eventually thrive.
This also focuses on Thomas, who has been desperately in love with Ollie for years, who never ever was supposed to have even a possibility of a chance with Ollie and now, struggles to move on with his life as well, because how do you even present yourself as an option for a new future? This man was amazing inside and out and wins the seldom given hubby award, as Thomas’s raw desperate feelings and ensuing vulnerability is showcased over and over with tender precision.
There’s definitely plenty of roadblocks and obstacles, and Vaughn never shies away from the tough topics as she thoroughly picks apart grief and healing and the paralytic fear and overwhelming guilt and fragile hope that life just may carry on. Beware the extra strife with Sam's selfish parents and peripheral besties with their own weighty issues, not to mention Thomas’s baby mama drama.
Regardless, the take away point is, at its soulful core, this was truly an affecting love story for two captivating individuals who deserve all the happiness, making the penultimate culmination and fitting ending well worth the angst ridden wait. Suffice it to say, this was the best second chance romance I’ve read to date and if you like this trope, don’t miss out!